Cocktail Chronicles
An excellent blog by a man who has more cocktail books than I thought were published.

cocktailnerd
Gabriel has crafted a fine site and shares some of my pain with a state-run liquor system. He also manages to post about 4000 times more than me, and it’s always interesting!

Dave’s Drinks
Anyone who posts about exotic cocktails makes it on this blogroll!

Days That End In “Y”
An all-around drinking blog that posts quality news on the world of spirits, beer, wine, gadgets… the list goes on, as do the posts, which are too numerous to count. “Updated frequently” would be an understatement.

Dr. Bamboo
A fellow Pennsylvanian with a penchant for art and fine cocktails.

Favorite Posts

Mix together Sazerac 18-year old rye whiskey, Carpano Antica, and Fee’s Barrel-aged Bitters and you have one of the best Manhattan’s ever conceived. But if any of you are like me, such elixirs are saved for special occasions. Now whip up one with Old Overholt, Martini and Rossi, and Fee’s regular aromatic bitters. Is it as good? No way. Is it still delicious while not requiring me to dish out half of my monthly paycheck? Indeed.

This post is nearly entirely ripped from an eGullet thread, but I found it beyond fascinating and thought I could get a lot of good tips from everyone.

Ever since I started my cocktail journey, I’ve tried to find the best buys for nearly all the spirits when it comes to mixing. Here are my favorites. With some exceptions, these are all easily obtainable in Pennsylvania, where it can be hard to find brands that are not consumed by the masses. You know, unless you’re willing to place a special order with a 12 bottle minimum.

I kept the list short and just covered the basics so that you don’t have to spend two hours inventorying your liquor collection. Not that that wouldn’t be fun.

KP’s House Brands

Gin: Plymouth and Tanqueray – $25.99 and $23.99

Dry Vermouth: Noilly Prat – $9.49

Sweet Vermouth: Martini and Rossi

Gold Puerto Rican Rum: Bacardi 8 – $22.99

Light Puerto Rican Rum: Brugal or Cruzan – $12.19 or $12.49

Dark Jamaican Rum: Gosling’s – $14.99

Demerara Rum: Lemon Hart 80 and 151-proof – $20.99 and $26.99 (sadly, each of these requires a 12 bottle minimum purchase! Not that I won’t use them up …)

Tequila: Sauza Hornitos – $26.99

Rye: Old Overholt (sadly this is no longer easily available in PA. I’m stuck with Wild Turkey. – $26.09

KP Question

17 Responses to “House Brands”

17 Comments to “
House Brands”

Just the other night I made a Manhattan with Eagle Rare 10 yr., Vya, and Angostura, and we decided that the Vya and Eagle Rare just don’t mix. The Vya is too assertive, or the Eagle Rare is too smooth, or both. I think Cinzano (which is my house sweet vermouth, although I’ve splurged on the Vya the last two times) would be more balanced with the Eagle Rare.

But Woodford Reserve and Vya are a damn good match.

I think my new house gin is going to be Plymouth. Still experimenting with rums to make a decision for light and gold, although Gosling’s is a shoe-in for dark.

– Light Rum: Cruzan Estate Light or Flor de Cana
– Amber Rum: I don’t think I’ve settled on a house brand here yet. Flor de Cana and Cruzan Single Barrel are the frontrunners, though. Bacardi 8 is in the mix as it’s often on sale here.
– Dark Rum: I actually keep Cruzan Blackstrap on hand at all times as well — I find it works better in certain drinks where you really want that molasses flavor
– Bourbon: Knob Creek
– Vodka: Hangar One

Some of these brands are little pricier, but in the case of bourbon and vodka, I use them so rarely in mixing that it’s not worth it to me to buy a separate bottle of lower quality.

Both the Rittenhouse BIB and Jim Beam Rye actually make great Manhattans, although quite different from one another. The Beam is much lighter in profile but more snappy and pepper-y. The Rittenhouse works beautifully with the Vya.

Naming my house brands will likely look like a carbon copy of Trader Tiki, above. So, I’ll list my Well spirits instead. I feel that part of being a connoisseur is when to know what will do in a pinch, and what is good enough. With that, here are my (candid, sometimes embarrassing) wells:

The “Orange Curacao / Triple Sec” title is a little vauge in that cocktails that call for one of them will probably not work for the other one. Anyone with pointers for what works best for each in regards to Harlequin, Cointreau, Grand Marinerand the others?

Vodka: Russian Standard Original
Then the classic Polish flavours, Zubrowka, Wisniowka, Krupnik & Starka and Cariel
Vanilla. Then I have a one premium made from each of wheat, grape, potato, rye & grain

Gin: Beefeater, the only London Dry gin still made and bottled by the distillery in London.